Slide needle for taking up loops



June 24,1941. HOLUB i 7 2,246,938

SLIDE NEEDLE FOR TAKINQUP LOOPS Filed Dec. 11, 194Q INVENTOR: ADOLF HOLUB BY! A. A 4;

ATTORNE Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICEVWV Application December 11, 1940, Serial No. 369,592 In Germany December 4, 1939 3 Claims. (01. 66-117) The present invention relates to slide needles for taking up loops.

Slide needles for taking up or picking up ladders are known in which the slide, guided in the shank of the needle, is provided with a stop serving to control the slide and either projecting through a slot in the back of the shank of the needle or provided at the side of the slide facing the point of the hook. These known slide needles have the drawback that the ends of the slide facing the needle hook are enlarged in proportion to the shank so that the loops during knocking off are unduly stretched which is undesired and also impairs the proceeding of the operation. Moreover, it has already been proposed to swingably or resiliently arrange the slide on the shank of the needle to allow sinking of the stop into the shank of the needle after closing the hook, but then the side of the slide opposite the stop or heel which serves as groove for the point of the hook projects so much more from the shank of the needle and at another place causes undesired stretching of the loop before the latter is knocked off.

The present invention removes the above mentioned drawbacks and substantially consists in this that the slide at least has one resilient tongue the free end of which facing the needle hook carries a stop or heel projecting from the shank of the needle which in the ordinary manner is held by the loop to be knitted off until the needle hook is closed and then is swung into the interior of the shank of the needle. A very simple construction of the needle results if the resilient tongue is arranged between two preferable uniform sheet metal members and is rigidly connected to the latter at its end removed from the needle hook. In accordance with the invention the arrangement may be such that the ends of the sheet metal members facing the needle hook in their lower position laterally surround the point of the hook.

In the accompanying drawing one construction of a slide needle according to the invention is shown by way of example on an enlarged scale.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a slide needle according to the invention with the needle hook opened,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of this needle, and

Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section of the needle with the needle hook closed.

The shank I of the needle has a longitudinal groove 3 extending as far as to the needle hook 2. In the groove 3 the slide is guided which slide consists of two thin sheet metal members 4, 4' between which a resilient tongue 5 is arranged. The members 4, 4' and 5 are rigidly connected to each other at the end removed from the needle hook. The connection may be efiected by welding, riveting or the like. The sheet metal members 4, 4' consist of two uniform blanks and are of a width equal to the depth of the groove 3 and, therefore, are laterally entirely enclosed by the shank of the needle except for the two stops 6, 1. A collar 8 is fixed to the shank of the needle between the stops 6 and I and this collar 8 serves to safely hold the slide in its two end positions. In the position of rest of the slide the stop 6 abuts against the collar 8 which may be effected'by a tension spring not shown in the drawing and connected to the stop I. The ends of the sheet metal members 4, 4 facing the needle hook are rounded oif, whereas the resilient tongue 5 has a wedge-shaped heel projection 9 which extends through a slot ID in the back of the shank of the needle and on taking or picking up loops serves as counter-bearing for the loop sliding along the shank of the needle to safely bring the slide into its lower position in which the free ends of the sheet metal members 4, 4' laterally surround the point ll of the needle as shown in Fig. 3. In this position the resilient tongue 5 is swung into the interior of the shank of the needle by the tension of the loop to be knitted off, because the resilient tongue is not as broad as the sheet metal members. In contradistinction to known needles of similar construction after swinging of the tongue 5 no resistance is offered to the loop to be knitted off which, therefore, easily slides over the point of the needle. It has been proved by tests, that the number of lifts of needles constructed according to the invention may be increased with regard to that of known needles which allows faster operation of the knitting machine.

While I believe the above described embodiment of my invention to be a preferred embodiment, I wish it to be understood that I-do not desire to be limited to the exact details of design and construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. A slide needle comprising a hook portion and a hollow shank portion having an opening, slide means longitudinally slidingly disposed in said hollow shank portion, said slide means comprising a. sheet metal member adapted to close said hook portion in one end position of said slide means and comprising a resilient tongue member connected at one end with said sheet metal member and having a heel portion at its free end projecting from said hollow shank portion through said opening when said slide means is in a position remote from said hook and adapted to resiliently swing into said hollow shank portion.

2. A slide needle comprising a hook portion and a hollow shank portion having an opening, slide means longitudinally slidingly disposed in said hollow shank portion, said slide means comprising two uniform sheet metal members disposed parallel to each other and adapted to close said hook portion in one end position of said slide means and comprising a resilient tongue member disposed between said sheet metal members in parallel relation thereto and connected at one end with said sheet metal members and having a heel portion at its free end projecting from said hollow shank portion through said opening when said slide means is in a position remote from said hook and adapted to resiliently swing into said hollow shank portion.

3. A slide needle comprising a hook portion and a hollow shank portion having an opening, slide means longitudinally slidingly disposed in said hollow shank portion, said slide means comprising two uniform sheet metal members disposed parallel to each other and adapted to engage the sides of and close said hook portion in one end position of said slide means and comprising a resilient tongue member disposed between said sheet metal members in parallel relation thereto and connected at one end with said sheet metal members and having a heel portion at its free end projecting from said hollow shank portion through said opening when said slide means is in :a position remote from said hook and adapted to resiliently swing into said hollow shank portion.

ADOLF HOLUB. 

